Terror Attack At Russian Train Station -- News Roundup

Female Suicide Bomber Kills 16 In Russia's Volgograd -- RT

At least 16 people were killed in a blast at a railway station in the city of Volgograd, southern Russia. A female suicide bomber is suspected to have carried out the attack, says the National Anti-terrorism Committee.

Follow RT's Live Updates on the blast.

“According to verified information, the explosion at the railway station in Volgograd has claimed 15 lives," Russia's Investigative Committee said.

Another 37 were injured, 8 of them more critically, including a girl of 9. The child has been taken to a local hospital. Her mother died in the blast, according to the Committee.

At the same time, the Health Ministry confirms that 45 people have been taken to hospital.
The incident is being treated as an act of terrorism, the committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said.

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More News On Today's Terror Attack In Russia

Volgograd railway station blast: LIVE UPDATES -- RT
More Than A Dozen Killed in Blast at Volgograd Train Station -- RIA Novosti
At Least 14 Dead in Volgograd Suicide Blast -- The Moscow Times
Policeman, mother die shielding others in Volgograd suicide blast -- RT
Suicide bomber kills up to 18 in Russia -- The Telegraph
'Suicide bomber' hits Russia station -- BBC
15 dead in explosion at Russian station -- The Guardian
At least 15 dead after explosion at Russia railway station, officials say -- FOX News/AP
Official: Suicide bomber kills 14 at Russian train station -- CNN
Woman suicide bomber kills at least 14 at Russian station -- Reuters
Russian train station hit by deadly suicide bombing -- France 24
Deadly blast hits Russian train station -- Al Jazeera
Putin orders security measures after Russian train station blast -- Reuters
Suicide bomber strikes Russia. Another 'black widow?' -- Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor

Four Under-Reported Stories Of 2013

Four Stories You May Have Missed In 2013 -- Greg Scoblete and Kevin Sullivan, Special to CNN

There was no shortage of eye-grabbing global headlines in 2013. The Catholic Church chose a new Pope. China and Russia flexed their muscles. The U.S. and Iran, meanwhile, took a step back from the brink of what looked like a potentially explosive confrontation. But while these stories commanded an ample share of media attention, we’ve found four significant stories that may have slipped under your radar.

Global poverty retreats

With Southern Europe still reeling and the anemic U.S. recovery wobbling along, good economic news has been in short supply. But if you widened the lens, 2013 actually delivered some encouraging, indeed historic, news. It came in the form of a study from Oxford University’s Poverty and Human Development Initiative that concluded that developing countries were enjoying remarkable success in alleviating the worst poverty. They’ve had so much success, in fact, that Oxford predicted that crushing poverty in many of the least developed countries in the world (think Bangladesh, Rwanda, Nepal) is actually on track to be fully eradicated within 20 years.

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My Comment: The mass persecution of Christians in the Middle East and northern Africa is (in my opinion) the most under-reported story of 2013. But what is happening in Mexico is also an under-reported story. The press focuses on the Mexican drug cartel war, but it is the break-up of Mexico's long cherished monopolies that will have a long tern (and positive) consequence for the Mexican people.

Is Somali Naval Piracy Over?

Somali Piracy Was Reduced To Zero This Year -- David Yanofsky, Quartz

Not a single vessel was hijacked this year off the Horn of Africa, where piracy waged by Somalis was once rampant, according to the US Office of Naval Intelligence.

It’s the fourth annual decline in Indian Ocean piracy, following a peak of 52 vessels in 2009—the year Richard Phillip’s ship, the Maersk Alabama, was commandeered by Somalis. That hijacking was the subject of a major motion picture this year.

As we noted in May, the disappearance of Somali piracy follows

• an increased presence of international navies in and around the Indian Ocean;
• Kenyan military intervention against al-Shabab strongholds in Somalia;
• and vigilance among vessel owners, who have rerouted and fortified ships to combat piracy threats.

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My Comment: One of the few "bright stories" for 2013.

How Three US Navy SEALS Were Humiliated After Capturing An Al Qaeda Mass Murderer

How Political Correctness Humiliated Navy SEALs Who Caught Qaeda Killer -- Kyle Smith, New York Post

The night of Sept. 1, 2009, Echo Platoon of Navy SEAL Team 10 headed out into the Fallujah night. Their goal: concluding a five-year search for the al Qaeda killer who had been responsible for the shocking 2004 murders of four American military contractors — one of them an ex-SEAL — whose bodies were then burned, dragged through the streets and hanged from a bridge.

This night the SEALs departed with these words from their commanding officer: “Gents, stay sharp, and expect a firefight.”

In the event, no shots were fired, but the SEALs faced another kind of ambush: a humiliating, baffling, infuriating struggle with the military-justice system that would end with an unsatisfying victory.

Because the man those SEALs captured — Ahmad Hashim Abd Al-Isawi, aka “the Butcher of Fallujah,” a man who lived for mayhem — somehow sustained a bloody lip on the night of his capture.

The contrast between the two instances of violence seems, like many of the details of the case, absurd.

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My Comment: Be prepared to get angry if you read this story.

Israel Responds To Rocket Fire From Lebanon

Lebanon Rocket Fire Draws Israeli Artillery Strike -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Rockets launched from south Lebanon struck northern Israel on Sunday and Israel responded with artillery shells across a border that has been largely quiet since a war in 2006.

The cross-border fire, which caused no injuries on either side, coincided with heightened political tension in Beirut following the assassination on Friday of a former Lebanese government minister.

It was not immediately clear who fired the rockets.

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More News On Israel Responding To Rocket Fire From Lebanon

Rockets from Lebanon smash down in Israel; IDF returns fire -- CNN
Israel hits back after rockets fired from Lebanon -- Global Post/AFP
Lebanon Rockets Hit North Israel, Israeli Army Returns Fire -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Israel strikes back after Lebanese rocket fire -- UPI
Kiryat Shmona Mayor: I ‘Went Outside and Saw the Smoke’ -- Algemeiner
Army finds rocket launch pads used against Israel -- Daily Star
Israel warns Lebanon of tougher response to rocket attacks -- AFP
Tension mounts as first missiles in six months cross Israel-Lebanon border -- Voice of Russia

South Korean Peacekeepers In South Sudan Return Bullets Provided By Japan

Japan And South Korea Can’t Even Cooperate Over Peacekeeping In South Sudan -- Max Fisher, Washington Post

Before we get to the story of how Japan and South Korea came to be feuding over a bit of ammo-sharing between their peacekeeping forces in South Sudan, a bit of background to help you understand why this is all so absurd.

South Korea and Japan are arguably two of the most successful countries of the past half-century. They came out of their respective wars deeply impoverished and politically broken, but have since become wealthy and highly entrepreneurial democracies, renowned for their cultural exports and leadership in technological development.

It would make a lot of sense for South Korea and Japan to work closely together. They have similar economies, lots of cultural overlap, defense treaties with the United States, shared concerns about North Korea and a mutual desire to resist China's growing power and influence. The two countries stand to gain significantly from working together. But they are terrible at cooperating with one another -- just terrible.

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More News On The Rift Between Japan And South Korea Over Bullets

S. Korea to return ammo provided by Japan to PKO troops in S. Sudan -- Global Post/Kyodo News Agency
UN Bullet Supply Deal Highlights Tokyo-Seoul Rifts -- Wall Street Journal
Opposition censures military for receiving ammunition aid from Japan -- Global Post/Yonhap News Agency
In South Sudan, South Korean Peacekeepers Solicit Ammo From Bitter Rivals Japan -- Time

My Comment: This is one of those "Huh????" moments. Your soldiers are in the middle of a civil war and are also low in ammunition .... but the South Korean government makes the decision that Japanese bullets are unacceptable and should be returned.

The Remarkable Story Of Russian Mercenaries Who Went To War Against Syrian Rebels.

Russian mercenary for Slavonic Corps standing in front of vehicle with homemade armor. Via VKontakte

There Are Russian Mercenaries Fighting In Syria -- Mitch Swenson, War is Boring

And they have no idea what they’re doing

Evidence indicates Russian contract soldiers were operating in Syria in October.

Fontanka.ru, a news agency based in St. Petersburg, has reported that as many as 267 Russian contractors were stationed near Pres. Bashar Al Assad’s home province of Latakia in the beginning of October.

The soldiers were members of a private military corporation based in Hong Kong named the Slavonic Corps and were originally assigned to “guard” several oil fields near Deir ez Zor, a city in eastern Syria that has seen intense fighting and jihadification by Al Qaeda-affiliated group Islamic State of Iraq and Sham, a.k.a. ISIS.

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WNU Editor: This was a completely botched operation. The original article that broke this story is here.

The New York Times Fails In Their Benghazi Investigation

The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi in flames September 11, 2012. (Reuters)

A Deadly Mix in Benghazi -- David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times

A boyish-looking American diplomat was meeting for the first time with the Islamist leaders of eastern Libya’s most formidable militias.

It was Sept. 9, 2012. Gathered on folding chairs in a banquet hall by the Mediterranean, the Libyans warned of rising threats against Americans from extremists in Benghazi. One militia leader, with a long beard and mismatched military fatigues, mentioned time in exile in Afghanistan. An American guard discreetly touched his gun.

“Since Benghazi isn’t safe, it is better for you to leave now,” Mohamed al-Gharabi, the leader of the Rafallah al-Sehati Brigade, later recalled telling the Americans. “I specifically told the Americans myself that we hoped that they would leave Benghazi as soon as possible.”

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My Comment: Unbelievable .... the New York Times is still peddling the video lie .... ignoring the testimony of people on the ground as well as social media reports that revealed that there was no mention of the video in Libya on the day of the attack. What is even more ludicrous is their assertion that Al Qaeda was not involved in the attack but an anti-Western militia group called Ansar al-Shariah .... cough cough .... Ansar al-Shariah is an affiliate of Al Qaeda. Sadly .... this New York Times article is pure BS that is serving only one purpose .... protect the White House and shill for former Secretary of State Clinton.

Update: Why am I not surprised .... White House doesn't dispute report finding no al Qaeda role in Benghazi attack -- NBC.

U.S. Intelligence Estimate Warns Afghanistan Gains Will Be Lost Quickly After U.S. And NATO Forces Leave

RETURNING HOME

U.S. soldiers prepare to board a CH-47 Chinook from Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2013, during Guam's last push out of the country. The soldiers are assigned to Task Force Guam, 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National Guard. The task force officially ended Operation Enduring Freedom, Dec. 26, 2013, enabling Guardsmen to return home. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Eddie Siguenza

Afghanistan Gains Will Be Lost Quickly After Drawdown, U.S. Intelligence Estimate Warns -- Ernesto Londoño, Karen DeYoung and Greg Miller, Washington Post

A new American intelligence assessment on the Afghan war predicts that the gains the United States and its allies have made during the past three years are likely to have been significantly eroded by 2017, even if Washington leaves behind a few thousand troops and continues bankrolling the impoverished nation, according to officials familiar with the report.

The National Intelligence Estimate, which includes input from the country’s 16 intelligence agencies, predicts that the Taliban and other power brokers will become increasingly influential as the United States winds down its longest war in history, according to officials who have read the classified report or received briefings on its conclusions. The grim outlook is fueling a policy debate inside the Obama administration about the steps it should take over the next year as the U.S. military draws down its remaining troops.

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My Comment: This assessment is on the money. It took four years after the Soviets left in 1988 for Afghanistan to implode .... it will probably take the same length of time to repeat history when US forces have left the country.

Update: U.S. intelligence estimate sees big rollbacks in Afghanistan: report -- Reuters

Pakistan's North Waziristan Is On The Edge Of A Full Blown Conflict

North Waziristan Appears Close To Full-Blown Conflict -- Ismail Khan, DAWN

GUNS have fallen silent in Mirali — a bustling town 35km to the east of North Waziristan’s regional headquarters of Miramshah, but now with rows of burnt down and bombed shops and houses.

The sudden flare-up and military’s fierce response to a suicide bombing at one of its main camps in Khajori on Dec 18 have shown that the situation in North Waziristan remains volatile, dangerously close to a full-blown conflict.

That the peace process would be illusive was known to all but what many people fail to understand is just how complex it would be, given the large number of militant groups with different agendas and goals.

A ceasefire has now been in effect. But the question is for how long. The military is edgy. For far too long, they say, they sat out there, taking casualties.

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My Comment: With 43 different militant groups operating in North Waziristan .... and all of them pursuing different agendas .... I have trouble believing that any peace plan and/or agreement can be implemented in this part of Pakistan.